Hazel Hall, School of Computing, has been announced as the winner of the Association for Information Science & Technology’s 2019 Clarivate Analytics Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award – and will head to Australia in October to receive her prize!
The award recognises the unique teaching contribution of an individual as a teacher of information science and is a major international award in the field. Hazel is the first ever winner from the UK in the award’s 39 year history.
Hazel was selected as the winner from a pool of outstanding candidates who were judged based on criteria including sustained and unique contributions to teaching information science; impact on students, colleagues, and institutions; innovative and imaginative teaching materials and methods; professional association activities related to teaching excellence; research activities related to teaching excellence; and previous teaching awards.
Hazel said, “I’m absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the Clarivate Outstanding Teacher of the Year. I’d like to thank those who nominated me, the members of the judging panel and, of course, all the students who so willingly and enthusiastically participate in my class activities.”
Hazel was nominated for the award by Edinburgh Napier colleague Frances Ryan, who said, “Hazel has developed a strong Information Science teaching profile over the past three decades. This has had lasting impact on her students, colleagues, and the institutions with whom she has partners. Hazel’s enthusiasm and talent for teaching is also evident in her research track record. Her research and consultancy activities – often in partnership with professional associations – have had direct impact on the training provision of professional organisations and communities of library and Information Science professionals. The publication of more than 20 papers related to innovations in teaching, literacies, and learning both record these activities and demonstrate a desire to disseminate good practice in teaching.”
Tessa Darley, a former student of Hazel, added, “Hazel is an inspiration to her students, consistently encouraging, assisting and firing an interest in knowledge and information management in her students, thereby ensuring a wave of well-educated, curious and enthusiastic new entrants to the profession every year.”
Hazel will receive her award at the annual meeting of the Association for Information Science & Technology in Melbourne in October.